A feral im taking care of showed up today with a limp. Upon further inspection i noticed this from left leg is swollen with two punctures. It hurt to touch. How to tell if its broken? Im taking him to the vet as soon as i get off work thanks
If there are puncture wounds, likely the pain is from tissue damage and infection in the foot. There are a lot of tiny bones in the foot itself so a break wouldn't be unheard of but it is less likely in my opinion. It would take a good amount of force behind the bite to cause a break and that would have likely cause more obvious damage.
Since it is a feral, I wouldn't do xrays to see if there is a break. Antibiotics, rest and pain medication will work the same for a small bone break as an infection. If possible, keep the cat confined for several weeks to allow a possible break to heal fully and the cat to recover from the injection injuries.
Well, he’s not completely feral now for i take him in when it gets too hot or cold outside. Other than that he mostly roams free outdoor. How much is an xray going to cost me along withe antibiotic?
Dunno where you live but a feral nearby us got hit by a car(?) and his back foot was pretty crushed, I called 911; explained that I was a minor and couldnt do anything but found an injured animal; they hooked me up with ASPCA and a worker came for free and got the cat help, then returned him fixed; healed; and healthy back to the neighborhood.
Depending on your area, antibiotics, pain medication and exam is around $150-300. Xrays are usually $75-150 per shot. Prices do vary greatly by area and even practice.